Spring Onion Flower Buns

Spring Onion Flower Buns

If you love bao buns, you probably already know that they come in a variety of shapes, and often with a myriad of options for fillings. But sometimes, you just want a plain bao 😊

In Chinese and Vietnamese cultures, plain bao buns often serve as an accompaniment to roast meat, such as Crispy Pork Belly or Peking-style roast duck, much like how bread rolls might accompany a western meal.

One slight variation to a traditional plain bao are these Spring Onion Flower Buns, also called Scallion Buns or Scallion Flower Buns.

What are Scallion Buns?

Spring Onion Flower Buns, or Scallion Buns, are mostly a plain bun but with spring onions (scallions) scattered through the dough for a mild, onion flavour. They are delicious eaten as an accompaniment to Chinese-style stews and braises, or with roast pork or roast duck.

Spring Onion Flower Bun Recipe

My recipe for Spring Onion Flower Buns uses my tried-and-trusted Steamed Bao Buns recipe. And to make this as close as possible to a plain bao, I don’t add any other ingredients, except for a bit of salt and oil between the layers.

You might see that other recipes for Scallion Buns use more ingredients between the layers, such as sesame oil and Chinese 5 spice powder, so depending on how you plan to serve these buns, you could add additional flavours.

Plain Flower Buns

Alternatively, you might decide to add nothing at all to these buns! My daughter has an aversion to herbs (which I hope is a temporary phase which will end very soon), so I often reserve a portion of the dough to make plain flower buns with nothing at all between the layers, except for some oil to help retain the layers.

What is nice about making plain bao in this flower shape, as opposed to a normal round bun shape, is that the layers help to give the buns more volume, which in turn results in a fluffier bun.

How to Make Spring Onion Flower Buns

Step 1

Start by measuring all of the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Then measure the warm water and oil into a measuring jug. The water needs to be a bit more than lukewarm to help activate the yeast, but it shouldn’t be boiling hot.

Step 2

I prefer to make my bao bun dough using my electric stand-mixer, but you can, of course, do everything by hand.

Using a dough hook on medium speed, mixing the liquid into the dry ingredients. Depending on the type of flour which you have used, you might need more or less liquid that than stated in the recipe. You want just enough liquid to bring everything together into a sticky dough.

Then, continuing on medium speed, knead the dough until it becomes soft and smooth to touch. This should take about 10 minutes using the stand-mixer on the lowest speed, or about 5 minutes by hand.

Step 3

Once the dough is soft and smooth, shape the dough into a smooth ball, and place it back into the mixing bowl. Place the bowl somewhere warm for about 60 to 90 minutes for the dough to rise and double in size.

Step 4

Once the dough has doubled in size, gently remove it from the bowl and place it on the counter. Then roll out the dough into a rectangle measuring about 20 x 30 cm (8 x 12 inches).

Step 5

Lightly brush some oil all over the dough, followed by a light sprinkle of fine salt, and a generous sprinkle of spring onions (scallions).

Step 6

Fold one-third of the dough towards the centre, and cover with the remaining third of the dough.

Step 7

Using a knife or dough cutter, divide the dough into 16 equal pieces to make 8 buns. If you wish to make smaller buns, divide the dough into 18 or 20 pieces (you need to have an even number of pieces).

Step 8

There are several methods for shaping these flower buns, and I recommend that you have a look at other recipes to see which method takes your fancy. Please see my tips below for shaping these flower buns.

Having experimented with this recipe many times, I like the following method because the many exposed layers help to create a really fluffy bun. It might look fiddly at first glance, but I promise that you will very quickly get the hang of it!

To shape the flower buns:

1. Take 2 pieces of dough.
2. Place one piece of dough on top of the other.
3. Place a chopstick across the middle of the dough lengthwise.
4. Push the chopstick down to press the dough pieces together. Remove the chopstick.
5. Use your hands to gently stretch the piece of dough to about 20 cm/8 inches.
6. Drape the dough over the chopstick and pinch the ends of the dough together.
7. Rotate the chopstick with the dough anti-clockwise by 360°, in an under-and-over movement.
8. Place the dough onto the counter. Push the dough wrapped around the chopstick onto the pinched ends. Slide out the chopstick.

Step 9

Place the shaped flower buns onto a large tray lined with baking paper, or onto a prepared steamer basket lined with perforated baking paper.

Place the tray of buns in a warm place for about 15-30 minutes, or until the buns have puffed up slightly.

Step 10

Steam the buns for 10-12 minutes, or until they have puffed up and are cooked through.

You can steam the buns using one of the following methods:

• On the stove. Bring a pan of water to the boil, and then reduce the heat to medium-high. Line a steamer basket with perforated baking paper, or a reusable perforated silicone liner. The steamer basket should be the same width as the pan. Fill the steamer with the buns, allowing some space for them to expand as they cook. Place the lid on the steamer basket and steam for 10-12 minutes.
• In a steamer oven. Line a large tray with baking paper. Place the buns on the tray, allowing some space for them to expand as they cook. Steam at 100°C/212°F for 10-12 minutes.
• In a non-stick frying pan. You can cook these buns like you would with potstickers or Crispy Pan-Fried Pork Buns, i.e. steam them in a non-stick pan before frying the buns to get a lovely, golden bottom.

Tips For Making Spring Onion Flower Buns

• Experiment with shapes. The method I have used here is just one example of how you can shape these buns. Other methods which work well are similar to that which I have used to make Cardamom Buns or Swedish Cinnamon Buns. We recently found a stand at a Japanese food festival which sold plain bao buns in the shape of mini hot dog rolls. The options are endless!
• Experiment with flavours. Depending on how I plan to serve these buns, I often substitute the vegetable oil for sesame oil, or swap the spring onions (scallions) for chives or even coriander (cilantro).
• Freeze leftovers. Any leftover buns can be frozen in ziplock freezer bags, and steamed back to freshness in about 8 minutes.